


Rhiannon

by the1andonlyjes



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: College AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the1andonlyjes/pseuds/the1andonlyjes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minako Aino works at bar, causing run-ins with a mysterious girl at Open Mic. She rings like a bell through the night, and Minako would love to love her. With her raven-like hair and sensual voice, she keeps the blonde enchanted. What Minako fails to realize is that behind every mysterious girl is a secret that only few know.</p><p>Reinako College AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Application

“Sorry.”

A drink was spilled in Minako’s vicinity by a couple of guys. Minako quickly lifted the piece of paper she was writing on as if it was worth her life. Not wanting to let it bother her, she moved to an empty table that still had sketchy stains. Still, at least it was better than the beer-stained counter she was at before. The blonde liked to party as much as the next person, but she was working on something important.

Minako had gone down to a local bar off campus as part of her job hunt. Tuition was covered by her parents, but money for textbooks and necessities didn’t fall out of the sky. Three other places had taken her application, but none of them had called. The bar was her last shot.

Her pen scribbled across the application as another performer at Open Mic took the stage. The first notes of the song would have been soothing, if it hadn’t been for the stench of cigarette smoke and beer. Minako hardly paid any attention to the song. She didn’t want to screw up the job before she even got it. 

The blonde was about to list her references when she heard the singing of the performer. Her voice drifted down from the stage, breaking through the barrier of drunken students’ chatter. The sweet sound circled around Minako’s ears, causing her to look up from the table. 

The girl on stage had long black hair that fanned out over her shoulders. It draped over her back and arms as she moved with the song. A dark purple dress cut off at her lower thighs, giving a view of the milky skin before black stockings began. As she pressed toward the microphone stand, her garnet necklace swung over her chest. Holding her guitar with ease, she played elegantly. Minako couldn’t see the girl’s eyes, but she was mesmerized. Her voice, her body, the girl had Minako under her spell. She reminded Minako of a cat, prowling through the darkness. The sensual notes of the song made Minako flare up inside.

When the music ended, the mystery girl exited the stage. Reality seemed to set in and Minako remembered where she was. She wanted to go and talk to her, ask her for her name. She then felt a little silly, crushing on a girl while she was supposed to be applying for a job. She shook her head to try and get back to her senses. Once the application was finished, she stood from the small table and only stepped back to let a group pass through.

The girl behind the counter was taller than Minako, older too. She had short, ash blonde hair and looked like she could kick some serious ass.

“You done?” she asked with a smile. Tough or not, she was a total sweetheart.

“Yes!” Minako hoped her enthusiasm didn’t sound of desperation.

“Cool,” said the girl as she took the paper from her hands. She scanned her eyes over the page and looked back up at Minako.

“Well, the hours are shit, but at least it pays, right? Can you come in at seven tomorrow night?” she asked.

Minako was taken aback. She got the job in less than five minutes?

“Hey, if you can’t pull it off-” the girl started again.

“No!” Minako said a little too loud, surprising herself. “I mean, I can definitely do it. It’s not sweat off my cat,” she gave two thumbs up as she accepted the job offer.

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes, but whatever. Glad to have you on board, Minako.” The taller girl held out her hand. “I’m Haruka, by the way,” she said with a wink.

Minako only smiled and shook the extended hand. She couldn’t wait to make the money she needed, even at the cost of her Saturday nights. The girl bid her goodbye and left the building. 

She walked down the sidewalk and made a turn towards campus. She rounded the corner at a coffee shop and happened to look inside. There, before Minako’s eyes, was the girl from the bar. It occurred to Minako that she had probably left as soon as she finished singing. The raven-haired girl walked with ease to a table in the back corner of the shop, as if it was a regular spot. She placed a pair of glasses on her face and took a book from her bag, setting her guitar case beside her. 

Minako contemplated going inside and ordering something, but thought that it was vaguely creepy to follow with no intention of approaching her. She passed the window as a waitress set a drink and a slice of cake at the table. Minako kept walking and tried to get the girl out of her mind. With her new job on the line, she had no time to worry about a girl she was too scared to talk to.


	2. First Night

Minako tried.

It was easy to mistake her efforts for intentionally leaving the bar in disarray. Haruka thought it was her fault for leaving the young blonde alone for half an hour on her first night. It was tough, but she desperately needed someone to take charge while she went across town to quickly return her daughter’s library books before closing. She thought it would be okay, seeing as the bar wouldn’t open until 8 o’clock and none of the other workers could make it before 7:30pm. Her mind was at ease on the drive back, but she still had to tend to her job. Upon arrival, she noticed chipped glasses, overturned tables, and a sudsy mess on what looked like the sink. 

"Haruka! You're back," came the voice of Cauldron's newest worker. 

“Yeah,” Haruka gave a distressed smile. 

The smaller blonde glided around the counter, hair swishing as she approached her.

“I, uh, see that you’ve been busy,” Haruka managed to say. The shock of the condition of the bar still hadn’t worn off.

“Yes!” she answered with excitement. “I washed the dirty glasses and mopped the floor and rearranged the tables,” Minako listed, proud of her accomplishments.

Haruka wanted to get mad. 

The bar owner wanted to be pissed off at the newbie. She was gone for thirty minutes at most, only at the public library before. Haruka never thought that the mess that was in front of her could be caused in such a short amount of time. The rest of the workers were due at any moment. 

“Look, I know you meant well and I really appreciate it, but,”

“I screwed it up, didn’t I?” 

The shorter blonde looked somber, and Haruka immediately felt bad for her. 

“You didn’t screw it up, Minako,” Haruka said as she put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“Really?” 

Watery blue eyes stared up at her, waiting for conformation. The taller girl smiled, which made the young worker squeal with delight.

“Great! You should see how I rearranged the bathrooms!”

Haruka sighed.

It was going to be a very long night.

*

Luckily, Haruka was an expert at bullshitting everyone. As the other workers walked in to see the mess, she told everybody that the chaos in front of them was nothing but a team building exercise. Those who feared the tall bar owner immediately went to work, while one man stayed behind.

“I swear, that never gets old,” he said with a chuckle.

The man was taller and seemed to be a little older than she was. She thought that he was a serious type of guy, with his dark hair and glasses painting him studiously. He appeared unapproachable, yet he was wearing a monstrous combination of a neon green shirt with a cow print vest. 

He must have felt her staring, because he glanced over to where she was standing. A smile formed on his face as he walked towards her. 

“You’re the new kid, right? I’m Mamoru,” the man in the funny vest said as he stretched out his hand.

Minako took his hand in a firm grasp and shook with her greeting.

“I’m Minako. How did you-”

“The ‘team building exercise’ kind of gave it away. You’re not the first person to screw up on their first day,” Mamoru answered with a grin.

“So, I did screw up after all,” groaned the blonde girl as her hands covered her face.

Mamoru patted her back and said, “Don’t sweat it. She’ll get stern if you do it again, but she’ll never truly be mad at you. She has a heart of gold.”

“I’ll say.”

Minako was touched at the idea of having Haruka look out for her despite not knowing her. Her heart warmed at the fact that this job wouldn’t be as bad as she had previously thought.

“Quit the heart-to-heart and get to work, if you know what’s good for you,” Haruka yelled from behind the counter. 

“I guess we’ll take care of these tables,” he said whilst crouching down to pick up the metal object while Minako took care of some chairs.

“Also, everyone should take some time today to welcome our newest member, Minako. She’s the blonde with the red bow next to the man in the cow vest. Remember to look away from the vest, but please greet the blonde,” came the shouting from Haruka who didn’t look up from organizing the bar and its contents.

“So, I guess she doesn’t like the vest?” Minako raised her eyebrows at Mamoru.

“She hates it, actually. Sometimes I wear it to see how long she can go without commenting on it. This is a record for her.”

Minako passed a few of her new coworkers and exchanged greetings with them as she continued to straighten the tables and chairs. They all welcomed her and made sure to tell her that they were available if she had any questions. She continued her work as others took on the bathroom situation. As the tables became turned upright, Haruka personally handed her a jet mop and asked her to make sure that the floor was clean. This way, mopping was easy, quick, and didn’t end with Minako breaking anything.

As Minako went to return the mop to Haruka at the counter, the bar owner swapped it for a dish bin and a small towel. She turned around and reached to a shelf with a radio and tuned it to a classic rock station. At that motion, one of the other employees went to the front door and switched on a neon red light that read “OPEN” and unlocked the door. 

Minako’s first day at Galaxy Cauldron had begun. 

*

“I didn’t know people drank this much,” sighed the girl as she made another trip to deliver the leftover glasses to the dishwasher. 

“Wait until finals.” 

Haruka handed a couple of drinks to some customers and turned her attention to Minako.

“Shift’s over in five, right?” Haruka asked her, turning to look at the clock.

Minako had lost track of time. She thought her first day wouldn’t be that busy, but she failed to remember that she started on the weekend. Naturally, things got hectic quickly. She looked at the clock along with the bartender and nearly recoiled in surprise. Sure enough, the clock read that it was now four minutes until 11 o’clock.

“Thank God,” she said as she plopped down on a barstool. 

Haruka smirked at the tired girl, remembering when she used to clean tables all night.  
“Hey, since I also get off now, I’ll drive you home. You live on campus, right?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to,” Minako tried to argue. 

Haruka chuckled, “Trust me, I want to. Besides, there are a lot of weirdos out there.”

“Okay,” she agreed, “I’ll go get my purse and we can go.”

Minako grabbed the small bag and trotted to Haruka at the door. 

“See ya later, Mamo,” she said as she opened the door for Minako and herself.

“Haruka, what time does Mamoru get out?” Minako asked, curious. 

“He usually closes up at 2am.”

“He stays for that long?” 

“Grad students, am I right? They’ll do anything for cash,” Haruka hushed her tone.

“I can hear you,” piped up an annoyed Mamoru.

“Bye!” waved the bar owner.

Minako waved as well and the two girls got into Haruka’s car. The drive was comfortably silent. As Haruka turned a corner, Minako noticed the coffee shop where she spotted the dark haired singer from the day before. The lights were darkened and the shop was presumably closed. 

“They have great coffee there,” said the driver as she noticed where her passenger was looking. “Have you ever been there?”

Minako observed the place as they drove past.

“No,” she answered, “but I’ll probably check it out soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Critique welcome.


	3. Open Mic

As her first month at Galaxy Cauldron had passed, Minako came to the realization that having a job wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Sure, some nights ended with her mopping up someone’s liquor and watching others expel the contents of their stomachs, but it was a small price to pay for money she could live off of. 

Minako walked into the building and stashed her bag in the back room before starting her shift.

“Hey, can you hand me that chalk?”

Haruka carried a chalkboard towards the entrance and Minako followed with the chalk that was on the counter. The two opened the front door and made their way outside. Getting on to her knees, Haruka set up the small chalkboard on the sidewalk next to the entrance and motioned for the chalk.

“So, what’s going on today?”

Minako was getting used to this. She knew that the chalkboard meant that some sort of special, like dollar drinks, was to be expected. She didn’t know what the occasion was, seeing as Haruka only did those on Tuesdays.

“It’s our monthly Open Mic Night,” she answered as she scribbled on the board. “It’s tomorrow at 8:30pm.”

Open Mic Night rang a bell for Minako. She recalled the night when she filled out her application and was graced with the beauty of an amazing singer. The memory of the dark-haired beauty lingered in her mind, entrancing her with the thought of her voice. 

“Can you get here a little early tomorrow? We need to do a mic check, set up the stage, all that stuff,” the taller blonde stood up to retreat into the building. 

Prompted with the idea of being able to meet her mystery girl, Minako agreed. This agreement led to Minako reporting to Haruka at 7:00pm the next day, before any of the other staff members had arrived. 

“Good evening, Haruka,” Minako cheerfully.

“Shit!” shouted Haruka, dropping her keys in the process. She looked back to see Minako’s sunny face behind her.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that! What are you doing here anyways?” she asked while reaching down to grab her keys.

“You said to come in early, so here I am!”

“Yeah, bu-,” Haruka felt realization wash over her. “Were you waiting for me to open the door?”

“It was locked.”

Haruka sighed and pushed her fringe back. An eager and excited Minako wasn’t anything new to her. Once she was pumped up about something, there was no stopping her. She shrugged it off, seeing as it was technically Minako’s first Open Mic. 

“Alright, come on.”

Minako squealed with delight and ran through the building as soon as the door opened. She got to work immediately, taking the chairs off the tables and flipping them upright. She dusted and cleaned the windows before hitting the bathrooms. The toilets were checked and in working order, and the mirrors and sinks were given an extra cleaning. When she felt as though her work was done, she took her bucket of cleaning supplies and headed out to the main room. 

She glanced over to the stage area, noticing some movement behind the piano. Peeking a little closer, she came face to face with a blue-haired girl. 

“Hello. I’m Ami. I’m running tech tonight,” she extended her hand. 

Minako shook off the yellow cleaning gloves and took the girl’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Ami. I’m Minako.”

“Ah, Haruka mentioned that you’d help me with mic check,” she said, clasping her hand excitedly. 

This new girl seemed nice and harmless to Minako. She wore a pretty blue halter dress with polka dots. Her appearance on the backdrop of Haruka’s bar was quite a contrast, in Minako’s opinion. 

“Let’s get started, shall we? I already have everything connected, I just need you make sure the microphones are in working order and the stands aren’t wonky in any way.”

Minako took the microphones, giving each a couple of taps and a “Hello.” She took her attention to the stands, checking if they moved correctly and wobbled if they weren’t supposed. The entire process took about fifteen minutes. As they finished up, other workers began to come in. 

“Thanks for your help Minako,” Ami said. “I’ll stick around until it’s over.”

“Cool, because I have no idea how to work this stuff, although I could try.”

“No,” came Haruka’s voice from behind the both of them.

“No offense, Mina, but no. Considering what happened last time you were left alone with stuff like that,” Haruka trailed off, as though in a harsh memory. 

“That radio was on its legs and I had no part in it.”

Ami giggled at their interaction, finding the two girls humorous. Haruka handed the blue-haired girl a green, bubbly drink and smiled. 

“Here, for your troubles. We’re opening soon, so just stand by and don’t leave her alone with the equipment,” she spoke sternly, but with hints of a smile.

She sauntered off, leaving a questioning Minako in her wake.

“So,” she started, “how do you know Haruka, anyways?”

“Oh, I’m a mechanic part time,” Ami answered. “She came into the shop a couple of years back when I was still in high school. We’ve been in touch ever since.”

The two didn’t notice when the business was officially opened. When the arrival of people became apparent, Minako hurriedly took a position behind the bar. She tried to look busy, but the attempt came at no avail. The more people walked through the door, the more nervous she became. Minako scanned the crowd to find the girl she was looking for, but she had no luck. She saw Ami across the room with a book in hand, seemingly unaware of the goings on until movement on the stage caught her attention. 

Minako, too, looked up to see Haruka adjusting the microphone and giving a few taps.

“Hey, everyone. I’m Haruka and welcome to another Open Mic Night. If you want to perform, but haven’t signed up yet, go see Setsuna,” she pointed over to a table near the bathrooms where someone was frantically waving.

“Alright, other than that, enjoy the performances and don’t be an asshole!”

Haruka left the stage with a small applause in her wake. The first performer stepped up and started doing a stand up routine. Duty called as a few of customers got up and left. The table they came from wasn’t too bad. Only a couple of drinks and crumpled napkins remained. She stacked the mess into a dishpan, carrying it behind the bar. She returned with a towel and a spray bottle to clean the table itself. 

Minako was in the middle of wiping down the table when she heard a voice pipe up.  
“Excuse me,” they said. “Can I sit here?”

“Sure, I just finished up.”

The blonde glanced to the side and saw the guitar case. Excitement ran through her, but she tried to be rational. Minako knew that it was open mic and that many of the performers carried guitar cases. Her heart still fluttered as she panned up slowly, reaching lustrous, black hair. Realization dawned on her as she came face to face with her mystery girl.


	4. A Bell Through the Night

Minako’s original plan was simple. She thought she would have approached her crush after she sang at Open Mic. At that point, she could’ve been charming and witty, passing the girl her phone number. 

Things could have worked out in Minako’s favor. However, the universe was not on Minako’s side that day. 

When Minako looked up and saw the girl, she blanked out. She stood for merely seconds, but it felt like years. It wasn’t until the girl turned her head inquisitively that she remembered the thing about the table.

“Uh, here you go!”

“Thank you,” answered the girl as she set down her guitar case.

Minako cringed as she replayed their interaction. All the cutesy “first impression” scenarios that ran through her mind the night before were shot. The normally confident blonde awkwardly shuffled away from the table as the other girl slid into the seat. It wasn’t until she reached the bar that she looked back and internally groaned.

She handed off the glasses to the dish washer and stood behind the counter. More people filed in, blocking her view of the girl at the table. Minako strained to get another glimpse of her, but the evening rush of people prevented it. She wanted to be busy, but it was a while until another group of people decided to leave. As soon as they did, Minako quickly gathered her supplies and found the empty table. She cleaned off the dishes and trash, wiping down the table for the next group of customers. It was only until she walked back to the bar that she noticed that the mystery girl’s table was empty.

The girl with black hair had taken the stage. Under the stage lights, Minako could clearly see her red, maxi dress. A light denim jacket covered her shoulders, only slightly lifting as she fixed her guitar strap. This time, she sat on a stool and adjusted one microphone to her guitar, moving the other to her mouth.

After a brief tuning, strumming began. The notes seemed familiar, as though Minako had heard the song before. The solemn tone of the music offered a small comfort. As the girl started to sing, Minako was enchanted once more. It was like the first time she saw her, like the night she applied for her job. The strong smell of alcohol and the noise of everyone around her were drowned out by the girl’s voice. 

It felt like they were the only two people in the room. At that moment, Minako had no duties, no job. The girl’s intense emotions infused into the song, making the blonde feel as though her soul was aflame. Minako’s awkwardness at their first meeting was long forgotten.

The dark haired girl looked up into the audience, eyes not searching, but wandering. They scanned until seemingly reaching the bar, particularly where Minako stood. Minako knew that it was impossible, given how bright the lights were on the stage, but she couldn’t help but believe that their eyes had locked. She took in those deep, dark pools, marveling at their expressiveness. 

The girl stopped singing, bringing the song into an outro. The final chords played out, going to a complete finish. The entire room filled with applause, but it couldn’t compare to the mass of excited blonde behind the bar. As Minako clapped and cheered, the mystery girl took a bow and led herself off stage. 

Minako’s heart fluttered as the girl walked around the room to get to her seat, passing the bar in the process. She tried to look busy, furiously scrubbing at a non-existent spot on the counter, but she couldn’t help but look up as the girl neared. She was met with a small smile, a smile that made her entire night. Thankfully, despite her instinct to freeze up, Minako had enough mind to return the smile before the girl walked away.

The goofy smile remained on her face as Haruka walked over to tease her.

“I’m not paying you to flirt with the performers,” Haruka smirked.

“Haruka, she’s so beautiful,” Minako rested her chin on her palm.

The older girl set her hand on the young blonde’s shoulder.

“You know what else could be beautiful?” she asked her employee.

“What?” replied the worker absently.

“Clean tables.”

Her smile fell as her eyes widened. She almost completely forgot about her job. With dish pan in tow, Minako walked out to the floor to gather any glasses and wipe down any tables.

She was hard at work at a table near the bar when a shrill voice came from the center of the room.

“Rei, you were amazing out there!”

“Thank you, Usagi, but didn’t you just get here?”

Minako recognized the voice and quickly turned to see her mystery girl talking to a shorter girl with her hair styled into two buns. She draped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

“That may be true, but I just know you were great,” squealed the girl.

Minako wondered if this girl hanging around her crush was her girlfriend. It seemed likely, given how close the two were. However, the small girl spoke up again.

"Ah, Mamo’s here! I’m going to say hi,” she said as made her way past Minako and towards the bar.

Minako looked back to see the girl named Usagi give a small kiss to Mamoru.

“Hey, Usa. Are you guys going to stick around or take off?” he asked her.

“We’re heading back to Rei’s place. Mako will meet us there,” Usagi answered. 

“Alright. Text me when you get there so I know you’re safe.”

“Okay,” she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Love you!”

“Love you, too, Usa,” Mamoru spoke as he waved at the girl.

The girl jumped at Minako’s crush, who then picked up her guitar case and followed the other out the door. With her crush gone, Minako thought she would use this opportunity to learn more. She strolled up beside Mamoru to gather information.

“So, girlfriend?” she raised her eyebrows.

“If it wasn’t obvious, yes,” he replied. “That was Usagi. We’ve been together since freshman year.”

“Congratulations! So, who was the girl that was with her?” Minako asked, hoping that she wasn’t too obvious.

“Oh, you mean Rei? She’s been Usagi’s friend for years,” he told her as he awaited drink orders.

“Really? I just wanted to put a name to the face. When she sang tonight, I thought her voice was beautiful,” she looked down, hoping that her flush wasn’t noticeable. 

Mamoru pursed his lips for a second, seemingly in thought. He got Minako’s attention and leaned in close.

“Tell you what, I’ll introduce you the next time they come around.”

“You’d seriously do that?” the blonde excitedly asked.

“Of course. I think you and Usagi would get along, too. Also, I’m sure Rei would love the feedback,” Mamoru stated as a grin developed. 

“Thanks, Mamo.”

Finally, Minako had a name to her image of the mystery girl. On top of that, Mamoru was willing to help them meet in a non-awkward way. Elation filled up inside her.

Rei.

Her name was Rei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff I Don't Know About: Bars  
> Stuff I Am Writing About: Bars
> 
> Anyways, I wanted to have this up for Rei's birthday, but I kinda missed it. As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged. Too rushed? Any opinions on how I'm writing the characters?
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> P.S. The song Rei sings in Chapter 1 is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.  
> The song in Chapter 4 is Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac.
> 
> So you can have an idea of what she sings.


	5. Chapter 5

The buzzing on the side table was assisted by a loud alarm. The fact that the phone belonged to Minako only made the situation worse. Her solution to waking up involved the sound of a quacking duck alarm on the loudest setting possible. Despite this, Minako was still a heavy sleeper, leaving her next-door neighbor to deal with it. 

“Turn off those damn ducks already!” shouted Yaten as she pounded on the thin apartment wall. 

Minako jolted up, barely aware of her surroundings. She flipped back her mess made of hair before grabbing the phone. Wiping off dried spit from her mouth, she took in the time. 

7:47am.

“Damn it,” she swore as she threw off the covers. 

Minako was late to Dr. Tomoe’s 8am Chemistry class. It also happened to be the class in which she had the most demerits regarding attendance. Of course, Minako was stuck with a professor who not only took attendance, but also made fools out of any students that walked in late. 

Her apartment was right off campus, but that didn’t mean that it would be easy to arrive on time. The blonde hurried along sidewalks before arriving at the main part of campus. Dashing through the crowd of people in the quad, she walked until she reached the science building. She climbed up the stairs before reaching the lecture hall, which had a simple sheet of paper pasted on the door.

Dr. Tomoe’s Monday 8:00am class has been canceled. 

Minako groaned aloud. She took out her phone from her bag and checked her notifications. Sure enough, an email about the cancellation had been sent earlier that morning. Her next class wasn’t until 10am, so she dragged herself back down the stairs and out of the building. 

Had Minako bothered to read the email as soon as it arrived, she could have slept in and possibly mirrored the situation with a different class. Still, Minako felt slightly relieved. She had an entire two hours to herself to do whatever she wanted. In the morning chaos, she completely forgot to eat breakfast, so the dining hall would be one of her first stops. 

She scanned in her ID as soon as she got into the building. Looking around, it was easy to see that early mornings were not that busy. A few students walked around in pajamas, while others obviously had a class within the next hour or so. She idled around until she spotted a cereal island, showcasing a plethora of the breakfast treat. She took a bowl and filled it with something brightly colored and sugary, and placed it on a tray along with a spoon. Moving her tray around the island, she spotted the cartons of milk. Reaching for her usual 2%, her hand brushed against another’s.

“Sorry,” she said, retracting her hand.

She looked up at the culprit and saw the long, black hair that she recognized anywhere. Of all people in the entire campus, her hand had touched Rei’s. She looked at the other girl, who squinted her eyes at her.

“Hey, this probably sounds weird, but do I know you from somewhere?” she asked Minako.

The blonde girl vaguely wondered if the last half hour had happened at all. Tomoe’s class being cancelled and Rei speaking to her over a pile of milk cartons didn’t happen every day.

“Uh, kind of, actually,” Minako scratched at the side of her neck. “I work at Galaxy Cauldron. You sang there the other night.”

Rei’s seemed to recognize her then.

“You’re the one who cleaned the table for me, right? You also cheered from behind the bar.” 

Minako felt her face flush, and it wasn’t from her morning run.

“So, you noticed that?” she asked, way too focused on her bowl of dry cereal.

“Yeah, I liked it, actually,” Rei answered. “I’ve never had such a reaction.”

Silence washed over the two for a few seconds. Minako was thrilled at the fact that she was talking to her crush, yet she still had embarrassment showing on her cheeks.

“Well,” the blonde started, “do you want to eat together? My next class isn’t until ten.”

“Sorry, I have company with me, but I’ll take a rain check on that. I’ll see you around, I hope.”

“Sure thing, or maybe I’ll see you at the next Open Mic!” Minako offered cheerfully.

“Yeah,” Rei’s voice lowered to a solemn tone. “Maybe the next one.”

At that, Rei turned around, black hair swishing behind her. Minako watched as she approached a table where an older gentleman was seated. She wondered if he was Rei’s father before remembering that she needed to eat her breakfast. Minako did have to walk all the way across campus to her next class.

Picking up a carton of whole milk, Minako scanned the room for an empty seat away from her crush, so as not to be a bother. Once one was spotted, she made her way over and set her things down. 

Minako couldn’t stop thinking about Rei and the man who was possibly her father. She also couldn’t stop thinking about that look she gave; the one when she didn’t think Minako was paying attention. Minako didn’t know what it all meant, but she did know hat she had a run-in with her crush, despite her not knowing her name.

Crap.

Minako forgot to tell Rei her name.

Defeated, the blonde shoveled cereal into her mouth. Her history book was in front of her, but her mind could not absorb what was on the page. 

Not even fifteen minutes later, Minako spotted the familiar dark hair out of the corner of her eye. She turned and found Rei walking towards the exit at a pace slightly faster than the older man behind her. Rei looked straight ahead as she walked, seemingly not caring if the man caught up with her. She only stopped to push open the main door, holding for a few seconds until the man caught it. 

The exchange perplexed Minako, who chewed on her mouthful of cereal. She didn’t catch any of their interaction while they were still at their table, but what she did see was enough for her to realize that Rei and this man were not on good terms at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism always welcome.


End file.
